August 8, 2005

Pro-Lifers Loving Nick Cannon

After reading this I came by another pro-life site, analyzing "Abortion and Rap Music." Who knew they were such fans? I wonder if they'll start picketing the Temple of Hip-Hop after stumbling upon KRS One's 'Build and Destroy' ("I give birth to emcees, and I also give abortions..")

While many MCs are rhyming about taking girls to the, uh, "candy shop," or about situations so explicit they have to whisper the lyrics, Nick Cannon is hip-hop's equivalent of Mr. Clean.

The rapper and actor ("Drumline") says he wasn't trying to kick up a fuss last month when he dropped his new single and accompanying video, "Can I Live," the tale of a young, pregnant woman's decision about whether to have an abortion. He was, he said, trying to share his mother's story.

Either way, the video is a hit: It debuted at No. 1 on BET's countdown show, "106 & Park," and spent almost a month in the top 10. But as of last week, the song was only at No. 85 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop tracks. "Can I Live," a book of fan testimonials, is due next month.

The video has become, for abortion opponents, a kind of PowerPoint presentation - a visual persuasion tool.

Web sites such as lifesite.net and prolifeblogs.com have praised the video, calling it an eloquent statement "for the culture of life" and encouraging viewers to continue to request it on "106 & Park" and "Total Request Live," MTV's countdown show.

"The video is having a positive impact. A lot of kids are talking about it," says Robert Stewart, 25, a chastity educator for Generation Life, an organization that aims to bring an abstinence-before-marriage message to young people. "It's awesome because (Cannon put) it in a way that everybody can relate to and embrace, whether they believe abortion is wrong or not."

Representatives of Planned Parenthood said they were unfamiliar with "Can I Live." The NARAL Pro-Choice America organization did not return a call requesting comment...